


The Acts of Reiteration

by JosivChrisma



Category: Cyberpunk 2077 (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-26
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-17 21:26:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29723472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JosivChrisma/pseuds/JosivChrisma
Summary: Sometimes two people find themselves at the wrong place at the right time.Sometimes two people find themselves in the right place at the right time.Or...A story based around Meredith's ‘Never Again’ <3 tattoo and how V teaches her to try again.
Relationships: Meredith Stout/V
Comments: 30
Kudos: 65





	1. Act I - The Initiation

**Author's Note:**

> Sooo...
> 
> This fic stemmed from my refusal to believe that Meredith wasn’t a fully romanceable character in the game. Her and V had more potential than a dildo-slapping, scissor session at a seedy motel.
> 
> Also...
> 
> V is destined NOT to die in this fic. 
> 
> In order to make this work, while keeping true to the original timeline, I had to make a few subtle changes. 
> 
> \- Jackie is infected with biochip, he’ll experience the Johnny Silverhand effects  
> \- V helps her choom while he’s immobile
> 
> Basically, Meredith will experience some events of the game with V. Of course, with a few added personal twists. 
> 
> They deserve more, maybe even end game. 
> 
> _________________________________________________________________________
> 
> Act I.
> 
> Initiation - The action of beginning something.  
> Act II. 
> 
> Inclination - An attitude of mind especially one that favors one alternative over others. The act of inclining; bending forward.
> 
> Act III. Coming soon....

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meredith knows there will always be snakes in the grass. When she hires a nomadic merecenary to keep her lawns cut, conducting business becomes a dangerous game of inner turmoil and mutual benefits.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spanish translations:
> 
> La corpo puta - corpo bitch
> 
> Patrona (feminine) - boss
> 
> Pendeja - asshole
> 
> De sangre fria - cold blooded
> 
> Mujeres muy hermosas - very beautiful women
> 
> Dulce carajo - sweet fuck
> 
> Hermosa - beautiful
> 
> Please correct me if I’m wrong. 
> 
>   
> Slang reference:
> 
> https://cyberpunk.fandom.com/wiki/Streetslang_(2020)

**I.**

Everyone knows the higher you climb, the greater the fall and you either hit the ground running or keel over and surrender to failure.

Success, Meredith knows, is a lonely reward.

Life wasn’t always like this, cooped up in a conference room with a trio of c-suiters, craving the harsh caress of smoke against her lungs. She had spent years clawing her way out of the streets, with eyes set on a domineering Militech tower, realising the need to become a Night City legend was a false ideal for feeble-minded gonks. The birth of her ambitions rose from the ashes, victims of a battle driven by money and power. If she couldn’t beat the corporate hold on Night City, she would join one of them instead.

Since then, the ladder Meredith climbed swayed but never collapsed within her taloned grip. The crux of the hour weighed heavy on her shoulders. Superiors demanded answers, urgent development into the investigation of a missing arms shipment and the exposure of a suspected leak within the ranks. She was close to unearthing the mole in their midst. Someone stupid enough to conduct dodgy biz under the guise of a billion-dollar corporation. 

_Corruption. It festers and spreads where you least expect it, even right under our fucking noses._

The cigarette offered temporary peace, maybe even more than being chauffeured around the Northside in an armoured SUV crammed with hired henchmen. A necessary measure to detain her suspect — an overzealous corpo agent climbing the ladder for all the wrong reasons, greed being one of them. All her gathered intel pointed towards Anthony Gilchrist, who was shitting himself in the trunk. Now, it was just a matter of acquiring hard evidence.

_Plan A - beat. Plan B - interrogate. Plan C -?_

Even in the process of progression, she was alone. Failure would lead to a tarnished reputation and a definite demotion within the corp. It weakened her to admit that Plan C consisted of hoping for the best outcome if Gilchrist wasn't willing to talk. 

The SUV came to a grinding halt under the overpass, and she led the onslaught with a forceful, gloved hand. The traffic overhead muffled Gilchrist’s pained cries as her men socked him with chromed fists. When he finally begged for mercy, calling her every derogatory term under the sun, she flattened a steel wedge against his throat and cowered with a passion—cold heart behind cold eyes. Rather than reaching for a pistol, she unholstered her habitual fix instead.

_My days as an underpaid secretary are over. No way in hell I’m going backwards._

With Plan A done and dusted, Plan B would commence once she had gathered her wits. She lit the cig with a shaky hand and distanced herself from his ill protests. The phone vibrated with an anonymous call, and she bravely accepts it. The face that greeted her belonged to nothing but trouble.

‘‘Stout here, how the hell did you get this number?’’ She demanded, blowing thick smoke around her.

‘‘You’d be surprised at how much I know. Heard you misplaced somethin' valuable,’’ the woman said in a breathy voice.

Meredith narrowed her eyes into the phone, annoyed at how vulnerable she suddenly felt, while Gilchrist continued his tirade. ‘‘Spill the specifics and make it quick!’’

‘‘I’d prefer to meet in person. By the sounds of things, you need all the help you can get. Are you down to cut a deal?’’

_A little assistance from the outside wouldn’t hurt. A trap or a golden opportunity. Only one way to find out, even if I have so much to lose._

‘‘Fine. First exit off Skyline driving towards the NID, storm channel under the overpass. Don’t make me wait.’’

The call disconnected, and she briefed her men, granting permission to terminate the stranger if the meeting turned awry. By the time she had burned through her second cigarette, a grumbling Hella comes rolling on to the scene. A woman emerged from the vehicle dressed in a warped, married version of entropism and neo-kitsch. She paid no attention to huscle closing in on her when Meredith offered a hand to shake. 

‘‘Meredith Stout. I take it you’re the know it all I spoke to on the phone?’’ 

‘‘Name’s V—’’ Before their hands touched, the stranger ends up on the ground, clutching at a head full of sickening, rosy pink hair, after one of her men attacks from behind. 

_V? What a sucker. Just another gonk with a basic handle._

When V regains consciousness within a matter of seconds, dark green eyes shoot from the ground up to meet the face of a woman losing her shit. ‘‘Nice heels, pairs well with the rest of you.’’ Whether or not her announcement was a result of the recent blow, it angered Meredith even more. 

‘‘Shut your mouth, bitch! They would look better against your fucking throat. Think you could come here and blackmail me? Set conditions?’’ Meredith could loosen her henchman’s leashes if she wanted to, but that velvet voice rears with a vengeance. 

‘‘Fucking chill, woman! Just hear me out.’’ Even subdued, connection forcefully inserted into her neuroport, V remained calm.

‘‘Answer my questions with honesty, then maybe I’ll consider listening.’’ V nodded, lifting her chin as her nostrils flared.

‘‘Whatever you want,’’ she answered nonplussed, mouth twitching.

‘‘Now, who do you work for and are you here alone?’’

‘‘Unlike you, I answer to no one. Bet you’ve forgotten what freedom feels like, huh? I’m all alone, though, just like you.’’ Even with an invasive guard in her face, pistols aimed at her skull, Meredith could see the truth in her eyes.

_Bitch has a point. Still, better to play the safe card._

‘‘Fuck you. I’m the one asking questions here.’’ She signalled a sweep of the vicinity and fixed her sights on V. ‘‘Listen closely. Anthony Gilchrist, is he your contact? Is he the snitch that leaked intel on the convoy?’’

‘‘Never seen or heard of him in my life.’’ V did a quick once over and answered without hesitation. It was the truth, again. ‘‘See, I have a colourful history of hitting convoys. Know the ins and outs of a preem uplift. I can help you with your little dilemma, provided you’re willing to do me a favour.’’

_What choice do I have? I’m at a crossroad here—expenditures near exhaustion._

Meredith rubbed her temples, patience fading. ‘‘I’m all ears. Best make me an offer I can’t refuse.’’

The deal was simple. Through an anonymous fixer, V knew who ripped off Militech, and she would happily point the finger once a flathead bot was acquired, provided she spiked them with a malware-laced credit chip. Another necessary measure of protection if V strayed from her objective. To talk was one thing, but to pull it off was another. After their agreement, all Meredith could do was set Plan C in motion and wait until the chip’s GPS signal was activated.

Near the peak of midnight, she receives an alert. The pulsing blip on her phone pointed towards the old All Foods factory in Watson, home to the Maelstrom gang. 

_Holy shit. That mouthy piece of work held up her end of the bargain. All talk, all action._

Meredith requested immediate backup and arrived at the location in good time. A familiar Hella parked across the street was a sure sign that V was inside, causing havoc. Firing a gun in that factory was like shooting into a giant tin can. When she stepped out into the deafening night, the wyverns were unpacked and released to secure the area. 

Half an hour later, an eerie silence filled the air as more Militech personnel arrived to clean up the carnage. Maybe V met her demise, and they would have to scoop her remains off the ground with the rest of the goons that bit the bullet. Her hunches were seldom wrong. 

V rocked up, grinning sadistically through a splattered layer of grit and blood, guarded by an impressive unit of a man clapping her shoulder. He gave Meredith a suspicious once over, mumbled something into V’s ear and strides off towards the Hella.

‘‘My choom thinks you're la corpo puta,’’ V revealed, shrugging off a battle-worn jacket and flinging it over her shoulder. Meredith pulled on her cigarette, fluttering in the downwash of a second Militech manticore landing on the cordoned-off street. She's heard enough Spanish in her lifetime to translate that one for herself. 

‘‘I think it has a nice ring to it,’’ she replied, unoffended. 

‘‘It does,' V caught on to her sarcasm, ‘‘I think you're a woman who doesn't fuck around.’’

_Good statement._

Meredith’s eyes fell to V’s hip holster, where two sleeping pistols brushed against her thighs. ‘‘I could say the same for you.’’ 

‘‘Could’ve warned me about the cred chip,’’ the merc said casually, as if she were accustomed to being played. 

‘‘Nothing personal, besides, you both made it out alive,’’ V cackled nervously, agreeing with a subtle nod. ‘‘I admire the way you operate. Would you consider doing more work for us in the future?’’

‘‘Militech? Nah. For you? Depends if you’ll be kissing my ass like this again.’’ Meredith shook her head in mock disgust. ‘‘Gotta admit, your security needs patchin’ up.’’

‘‘Forget, I asked.’’

V shuffled in her weathered boots, obviously enjoying her bluntness. ‘‘I get it. Loyalists are a sparse necessity, no one to trust, no one to watch your back. Why else would you cut a deal with a merc like me?’’

‘‘It’s a pity I had to stoop so low,’ Meredith rebuked, calmly inhaling on her cigarette, truly savouring it for once. ‘‘Desperate times called for desperate measures. Needed someone to do the dirty work for me.’’

V lifted her ruined tanktop to wipe away the beaded sweat on her forehead, revealing an unexpected column of soot-smudged abs. ‘‘That’s funny. I seem to recall your rage was a silent plea for my help, bent at the knee, practically begging.’’

Briefly distracted, Meredith missed a beat and answered too slowly. ‘‘Call it what you want. In the end, you kept your word. In return, you have mine. An official declaration of one model MTOD12 bot falling off the back of a truck. Lost in transit.’

‘‘Preem. To sweeten my end of the deal, I’ll even throw in solid proof of Gilchrist leaking inside knowledge to those dead scumbags back there. Ripped it off one of the comps.’’ V held the data shard between them proudly. ‘‘That should keep the superiors off your back.’’

‘‘No one likes a brown noser,’’ the shard dropped into her palm as V’s shoulders shook in time with a tired laugh. ‘‘It was a pleasure conducting business with you. Now, fuck off.’’ Meredith finally bared a sliver of teeth, and V notices. 

‘‘Pleasurable indeed, ma'am. Anythin’ you need, reach me on the hollo.’’ 

Despite the investigation reaching a satisfying conclusion, eliminating Gilchrist and picking up the pieces was still the matter at hand. As V walked off to join her companion, a single thought crossed Meredith’s mind. 

_Where the fuck did she come from?_

**II.**

Of all the ways to die in Night City, smoking was one of the prettiest. Tailor-made death. The glowing vice quivered between glossed, nude lips, helplessly trapped between a thumb and middle finger coated in pitch-black lacquer. Meredith drained it desperately, hoping an answer would come to mind. Instead, it becomes clouded. She squashed the cigarette into a crumbled ‘v’ to join the rest, limp and violently spent. The mound inside her chrome ashtray had grown more than usual ever since...

_V came along. At the right time or the wrong time._

It seemed like a lifetime ago. She would come home to her Charter Hill apartment, kick off her heels after a gruelling day and see a tired reflection scowling back at her past the butt of a lonely cig. That was before she met that troublesome, scar-faced mercenary, who went against the grain of her own inner teachings.

Meredith knew her type too well. Young, hungry for street cred. Building rep to become somebody that nobody wants. She was one of them once. A victim of Night City’s underground, tailor-made, just not for the faint-hearted. 

_V._

The simple initial screamed from her device. She never bothered with messaging until now, when it was too confusing to hear that cocky voice again. That, and gratitude would sour her tongue, so she would have to wet it with bottomless glasses of armagnac. 

_Hey, put the flathead to improper use yet? Too personal, too socially inept._

‘ _Militech played out as I hoped. Thank you. Regretfully, I’m rescinding my previous offer’_

She typed precisely, mulled it over a split second and hit ‘send’. 

_Sufficient. No time to liaise with bright-eyed, bushy-tailed mercs._

‘What happened to hookin up for more biz? My honesty scared you off or somethin?’

_‘Quite the opposite. As for business? You have fixers for that’_

V’s response filled the screen, her eyes narrowed, a glimmer of satisfaction slowly played across her lips.

‘Shame. I was starting to like you. Too bad I won’t get a closer look at your ink’

_Bold move, gonk. Too ballsy for your own good._

‘ _What makes you think I’ll let you get that close?’_

‘You tell me’

_Because I liked what I saw? But then I’d have to tell you who broke my heart and why this is a ‘Never Again’ situation waiting to happen._

_‘Can’t promise future opportunities. For now, we keep our distance’_

‘Respect your decision. You know where to find me’

She doesn’t press the matter further. It would be unwise to do business again, even if V kept her word in the end. Even if some uncorrupted part of her was starting to feel again. Any traces of her old self supposedly buried under pricey chrome, regulation uniform and a mandatory bulletproof vest. Her armour, to protect herself from the ones who have fucked her a certain way — not in the way she wanted either.

That seemed like a lifetime ago too. Now she’s...

_Meredith Stout. Militech Corporate Agent. Senior Operations Manager. Bitch, to those beneath me. Not to mention, I have a weakness for women of a certain calibre_ — _honest, charming, with nads of steel._

**III.**

Lately, she’s been coasting steadily within her ranks. Accounts remain plush. Nothing to complain about until someone comes along and fucks with her equilibrium. 

Ever since Gilchrist, her workload and demand had doubled—a small price to pay for possessing a shrewd yet strategic mind and the little helping hand from V and her solid choomba. Still, in her position, it was better to be the one who possessed the katana in a cut-throat world fueled by billion-dollar corporations. 

Short-lived victories were common. In the cruellest twist of luck, she receives a call from a field agent warning of another missing convoy uplifted from the Badlands. Pride, slightly wounded, she spends the afternoon distracting herself by securing domestic contracts and formulating quarterly reports. 

Below the office tower, down a row of parked company vehicles, Meredith slumped against the rear seat of a Militech SUV and fired up a cigarette like a needy junky on the cusp of withdrawals. Times like these were dangerous, when an idle mind tended to wander. After declining drinks with colleagues she would rather keep at arm's length, she opened V’s last message. Determined to decipher something with enough evidence to make a veteran badge weep in frustration.

It’s been a long time since someone dared to state their interests through a handheld. She flicked through her contact list, which consisted of direct lines to the superiors, like-minded suits, her entourage and the merc she met about a week ago. The screen comes alive with a painted image of a lone wolf howling at the sky. In the background, familiar skyscrapers stand between the smog. Fitting. Then V’s lively, emerald eyes appeared. Her rosy hair is damp, sly twinge pulling at her lips.

_Damn._

‘‘Hey, Meredith. Missed me that much, did ya?’’ V towelled her hair dry with one hand, smiling into the phone.

_Maybe. Smartass._

She rolled her cold eyes and blew smoke into the screen, obscuring the coy smile aching underneath her chrome. ‘‘Don’t flatter yourself. Is this a bad time to talk?’’

‘‘As you can see, you have impeccable timing.’’ V exerted a throaty hum, propped the phone up and leaned over to retrieve something off-screen. ‘‘What’s up with you? Bet Militech’s been kissin' that ass since Gilchrist.’’

“Can’t complain. No rest for the wicked,’’ Meredith responded flatly. 

‘‘Sounds like you need better incentives.’’ V chuckled, her hands clearly occupied by the clasp of a shiny undergarment. If only the phone was positioned lower. Still, the floral ink climbing up toned arms, petals kissing the cybernetics at her jugular, dark geometric mural across her chest, all on a canvas of shiny, bronze skin. That was something else to admire.

_She’s toying with me, and I fucking ~~hate~~ like it. _

‘‘V, I have a proposition for you if you’re interested. Meet me at the storm channel. 8pm sharp.’’

‘‘How do I know you’re not gonna sic your cronies on to me like last time?’’ V slid her arms through the straps of a teal, metallic bra and adjusted herself. 

‘‘The only one who’ll be knocking you out is me if you step out of line.’’

‘‘Ooh—sounds like an ideal first date.’’

Meredith scoffed mid-inhale, wasted smoke billowing into her blonde hair. ‘‘Be there or forget it,’’ she said hastily, brushing off the V’s witticism. 

‘‘Don’t worry, I’ll be there.’’ V purposefully tilted the phone towards her firm midriff, tossed her silky hair, so it clung to the jagged scar on her cheek. Instinctively, Meredith’s eyes widened when she disconnected the call.

_Two can play that game._

The image of V slick from a shower burned its way into her memory. Like a rude awakening, she caught the scent of singed leather and looked down to see a neglected cigarette lulling in her gloved grip, its embers holding on for dear life. ‘For fuck, sakes!’ She tossed its carcass to the streets, brushed the ash off her pencil skirt, breaking several regulations with a wayward hemline. 

_Look at that—my goddamn dignity, gone out the window._

_Fuck you very much, V._

**IV.**

Meredith pulled up to the underpass at 7:45pm in her custom, midnight blue Caliburn. She stepped out into the warm, dim lights of the tunnel. Watching her phone, expecting V to bail, she planted herself on the hood of her ride and decided against lighting the umpteenth cigarette of the day. 

At 7:59pm, a pair of dipped headlights signalled a prompt V's arrival, true to her word once again. As soon as she killed the Hella, parked just metres away from her own, she jumped out of the driver’s seat, hollering into the tunnel. 

‘‘Of course, you drive a frickin’ Rayfield!’’ V whistled, strutting towards her dressed neck to toe in black leather. A pang of vulnerability washed over her as the merc scanned her get up from stiletto boots, black, tailored militia suit to smoky, stoic eyes, quickly forgetting about the sleeping $100,000 beast beneath her ass. ‘‘Damn, you look deadly in and out of uniform.’’

Satisfied with V’s reaction, Meredith offered her cigarette case. ‘‘Good to know that when I whistle, you come running with your tongue and tail wagging.’’

V accepted the gesture, skin brushing against her gloveless fingers as she claimed one and balanced it between burgundy lips. Those green eyes never falter against her frosted gaze, even when the flame from her lighter sets that pretty face on fire. ‘‘Hmm...good to know you missed me too.’’

‘‘Don’t push it,’’ Meredith chided, watching the merc carefully.

V performed a slow french inhale and blew the rest to the heated air between them. ‘‘What part of town are we hittin' tonight?’’ She prodded shamelessly. ‘‘Fancy restaurant? Seedy scop joint? Braindance club?’’

‘‘Fuck off. I admired the way you operate, nothing more. Like you said, a sparse necessity. Can’t say the same about your impudent mouth, though.’’

‘‘Yeah, it can be a hindrance at times, but you don’t need to second guess me. That comes with being a nomad, despite our worldly appearances and raw tendencies, most of us have morals.’’ V declared, mirroring Meredith when she sits across from her on the Hella's hood, legs branched freely to either side. 

‘‘Listen, V. I’ve been where you are. Started from the bottom and barely made it out of the streets,’’ Meredith admitted, gingerly stepping towards V, whose bottom lip was tucked behind a row of pearly teeth, except for one canine, plated with rose gold. 

‘‘Now, here you are, giving back to the streets that shaped you. I sensed it when we first met. You’ve been in my position before. But I’ve always wanted to know, corpo to humble nomad. Is being on top worth the hype?’’

Meredith was dangerously close enough for V to reach out and touch if she wanted to. But instead, she does the unexpected and leans back, revealing a cropped leather bustier. It’s a shame to have it all disappear when V purposefully covers the goods with her jacket, sensing a pair of wandering eyes.

_Nice abs. Pairs well with the rest of you, bound in unfair amounts of tight leather._

‘‘The truth may disappoint,’’ V nodded patiently in silence. She almost looked innocent. ‘‘It’s a fabricated fantasy. The ladder is an illusion. It never ends. The battle to the top, is a lonely one.’’ V raised the cigarette to her mouth, gaze soft, almost sorrowful. ‘‘I don’t need your pity. This is the life I chose,’’ she warned, seeing right through the merc’s expression. 

‘‘I meant no harm. You’re a fighter. I know how it feels to ride solo. But it doesn’t have to be that way,’’ V breathed, exhaling. ‘‘I could ease the burden.’’

_Oh, I never fucking lose, even if I don’t mind losing._

She boldly stepped closer, knees brushing the inside of V’s legs, ever so lightly, enough to garner a response. The nomad barely gave anything away, though her eyes fell on the slant of her neck when she reached for the burning cigarette. ‘‘How can a merc like you ease the weight from my shoulders?’’ She asked with a frown, gracefully inhaling smoke laced with a sweet after taste from V’s lips.

V slid off the hood, eyed Meredith coolly, humming, cusping on her personal space. Their eyes met like freshly cut emeralds melting with deep sapphires. ‘‘I’m sure you can think of many ways, seeing as you came crawling back to me.’’

_Meredith, a.k.a befuddled gonk._

_I can think of many ways to occupy that pretty little mouth._

Meredith slyly withdrew the shared vice between them and filled V’s mouth with it, careful not to touch the glistening, cherried pillows caught in a dangerous smile. Dangerously inviting, to the point where she is forced to shove the merc, who welcomed the contact until she stumbled back on to her car.

_I could do so much worse if that Hella were a bed._

V raised her palms in mock surrender, dispersing a smoky giggle of satisfaction into the air. ‘‘My bad. Step out of line, did I?’’

‘‘Shut your trap, or am I wasting my precious, fucking time with you?’’ She spat impatiently. V dropped the cigarette to the ground and squashed it with her boot, lifting her gaze to meet Meredith’s solemn sneer. ‘‘I’ve decided to extend our partnership. You mentioned your aptitude for hitting convoys and security reinforcement. Early this morning, a container of tech goods disappeared without a trace in the Badlands.’’

‘‘If it went missing in the Badlands, there will be nothing left to salvage.’’ V shrugged lightly. ‘‘So what? A megacorp loses a few million and a handful of minions. It’s hardly a pain in the ass.’’

‘‘No, but it’s becoming a thorn in my side. Do you know how many pricks want to abdicate me from my position? Gilchrist was just the beginning.’’

‘‘You think this is another inside job? Won’t be surprised if there’s a network of them, another rebellion out for corpo blood. Then again, it could be an organised attack without a personal motive. We all work amongst saboteurs. Snakes in the grass. Let me guess, you want me to keep your lawns cut?’’

Meredith nodded, arms crossed, chromed eyebrow raised. ‘‘Precisely that. If this is a personal attack on me, I need to know who’s behind it. I don’t care how you do it, as long my name stays pristine.’’

V dug her elbows into her thighs as she leaned over, pondering the dilemma. ‘‘Militech has you wrapped around their billion-dollar finger. I’m flattered you turned to your reliable, neighbourhood merc for assistance.’’ Meredith rolled her eyes, hand resting on the curve of her hip. ‘‘I’m all in,’’ she said shortly after. A sly grin bloomed near the corner of V’s mouth. Sensing the approach of something else conceded, Meredith sighed. ‘‘Provided an incentive is granted.’’

‘‘Look, I’ll gladly depart with my eddies provided you complete the job with utmost efficiency. Maybe I'll throw in some exclusive Militech toys for you to play with as a bonus. Now, name your price before I change my mind.’’

‘‘Chill, it’s not your eddies I want,’ V admitted smoothly, combing her rosy hair with an open palm. ‘‘Once I’ve fulfilled your needs. I’d like to take you out sometime. Off duty, no biz, just you and me.’’

The mental shield she spent years building shuddered against her openness, though it remained sturdy, for now. ‘‘I’m not a bargaining chip, V. I don’t fuck with my clients. It only complicates things,’’ Meredith said, avoiding the slight, wounded expression on the merc’s face when she reached into the pocket of her blazer. 

‘‘I wasn’t lookin' for an easy fuck with you. I’m not that type of woman. I mean, I wouldn’t object to having fun if that’s what you want. We both seem to need it.’’

_What if I’m that type of woman? Down for a good fuck. No strings attached._

‘‘Don’t jump the gun. Take this shard, and study it well. I trust this confidential material won’t fall into the wrong hands. If it does, I know who to sic my cronies on to. Any resources you need, any trouble, get in touch right away. Got it?’’

‘‘Sounds preem,’ V replied with less enthusiasm than before. ‘‘Don’t trip. I'll get my bearings tonight.’’ The merc brushed herself off and flicked her chin towards Meredith. ‘‘I live for dangerous biz. 'Preciate the gig, patrona.’’ She held her hand out, and Meredith received it awkwardly. It’s surprisingly warm, considering the hard plaiting of cyberware there. 

_How the fuck did I stumble upon a diamond in the rough of Night City?_

Before she could make sense of the notion, V left her thoughts dangling in limbo when she releases her hand.

‘‘I’ll thank you once I see some progress.’’ 

‘‘I'm a woman of my word. You should know that by now.’’

Those green eyes danced, filled with youthful notoriety, disappear into a beat-up Hella rejoining the bustling night.

_Never trust anyone in Night City, including myself._

_Except for maybe..._

_V._

**V.**

‘ _Just checking in, you’ve been quiet. Hope your feet aren’t cold’_

‘Hey. Still keen as hell. Been layin low since Konpeki plaza’

‘ _Wait, that was you all over the feeds the other day?’_

‘Yup. Flathead worked wonders. That was about it’

‘ _Glad it helped with your shit show’_

‘Thanks, pendeja ^_^’

_‘Call me once you’re done licking your wounds’_

‘Be in touch soon x’

Meredith furrowed behind her phone.

_Did she just emote and ‘x’ me?_

_That’s new._

She slipped on her black pumps, looking deadly in a power suit. Any one of those white-collared pricks with a brain should steer clear of her at the office if they weren’t busy mopping the floor with their tongues. Better to keep conniving snakes managed, trapped underneath her heel. She flashed a rare, crooked grin at her reflection and left the false comforts of her apartment.

Hovering in her yard, a taxied Excalibur waits with its eagle door raised. Ready to fly into the belly of the beast. Once seated, she browsed through the beverage menu and settled for a ganic latte with sugar. She usually took her coffee dark, pungent without the comfort trimmings or a whiskey shot to calm the nerves before entering a pressurised environment. 

_I’m getting soft._

Militech kept a watchful eye on the competition, especially after a blow to Arasaka following Saburo's death. V may have hinted at her involvement in the supposed assassination, but there was something else at play. She wasn’t dense.

_Guilty is the person who places the blame first. Or, maybe V had heftier nads than I anticipated._

Meredith slotted the shard into her neural port, analysed the day’s objectives, taps in a conference call with her team, and arranges a scheduled meet below Militech tower before showing face in the field. Today she needed to ensure their early-modelled products were up to standard before distributing to buyers outside of NC. It wouldn’t be long until a snake bared its fangs, and all she could do was sit and wait until one of them became too slippery to handle. With all the shit going on, she hoped V would stick around and eradicate the vermin. It was better to be paranoid, than walk around with her guard down. For now, she would have to watch her own back. Undeniably, she would need to be vigilant about her front too. 

There were never enough hours in a day, though she managed to stay afloat above her inflating responsibilities until the sky turned dark and her body warned it was time to throw in the towel. The brief trip home gave her time to reflect on her team's overall performance and what areas needed special attention. She settled for a whisky double, warm and lingering on her tongue, body aching for a hot shower, head craving a soft pillow. 

This was her life now, semi-gratifying work, payment in eddies and fatigue, edible sustenance in the kitchen, nourishing top-shelf liquor and cigarettes to curb the inner demons until her eyelids pushed the reset button. It’s a cycle she’s used to, an inescapable loop. 

Ever since V’s face filled her hollo, asking to cut a deal, things have changed, her routine slightly altered. When she folds for the night, mind racing a mile a second in bed, her phone vibrates with a call.

‘‘It’s about fucking time,’’ she sighed at the screen, propping herself against the headboard. V released a small but welcoming laugh. Something was different about her, a pain present in her face. A detectable wince she tried to hide. But Meredith knew how to read a room in the dark. ‘‘You look like shit,’’ she ended up saying. It's far from the truth. Even with fading bruises, matted hair, and a face coated with a television's flickering lights, she still looked like a balm for sore eyes.

‘‘Sup, patrona. Feel like shit too. Sorry I’ve been outta touch. A failed heist isn’t something to boast about. My choom’s in a coma, dodgy fixer shot ‘im up. I’ve been restin' up for the next mission. Don’t think I’ve forgotten ‘bout our deal either.’’

‘‘Never, I have your word to fall back on, don't I?’’ Meredith responded sarcastically, rubbing at the stubborn knot in her shoulder. ‘‘Anything I can do to, er, help?’’ She almost winced from the automatic response but swallowed her pride in the process. 

‘‘I’m good. Unless you know how to remove a relic construct from my friend’s head without killing him?’’ Meredith looked scrunched her face, puzzled, and V changes the subject instantly. ‘‘We could discuss my shitshow over drinks some time?’’

‘‘Sounds delicately fucked up, and you’re still trying to push your luck with me,” she voiced monotonously.

‘‘I dunno, depends if you’re budging or not,’’ V said, brushing past the tip of her nose with her thumb. Meredith scrunched the throw gathered at her waist, preferring to answer in silence with an unmoving stare, which probably came off as intimidating. ‘‘So, I took a gander at the shard. Whole thing fucking reeks of Raffen Shiv. Wraiths, to be exact. No laws, no family values. It’s all take in exchange for their humanity. Used to frequent some of these transport routes when I rode with the Bakkers clan. You’d think Militech would bump up security after the last hijacking?’’

‘‘You think I haven’t mentioned it to them? In truth, Militech can afford to take losses. It’s the principles that matter.’’

V shook her head in disbelief. ‘‘That’s why I despise corporations.’’ She huffed, calming herself. ‘‘I have a plan in place. I know a few fixers who could shed some light on the situation. I’ll need to gather more intel and do some proper recon. One thing I know, wraiths work fast to release their loot. Fast means messy. Bound to leave a trail of breadcrumbs just for me.’’

‘‘Sounds promising. Keep me updated. In the meantime, try not to get yourself fucking killed. I need you alive.’’

‘‘Touching pep talk. Lucky for you, I've decided to stay out of trouble tonight.’’ The merc grinned stupidly like a gonk floating on pain killers as she clutched at her side with little discretion. ‘‘Shit, you like this with all your clients?’’

‘‘No, just the ones who piss me off, mainly you,’’ she replied bluntly, mouth twitching upwards. 

‘‘That’s a good thing, means I make you feel things involuntarily,’’ V said in true cock-sure fashion. 

_Wish I was there to slap that smug face, amongst other things._

‘‘You couldn’t handle me if you tried,’’ she admitted, testing the waters.

‘‘Is that part of our business terms, too, trying to handle you?’’

_No. Just an invitation to fuck me where it matters._

‘‘From now on, consider this a mutually beneficial arrangement. You work your ass off for me, and I’ll give you what we both want.’’

V dragged her fingertips over the ink stretching across her neck, flowers in full bloom, deep eyes staring through the hollo, searching for a moment. ‘‘You drive a hard bargain,’’ she sighed, biting her lip out of frustration. ‘‘What about an advance before I receive a full payout?’’

‘‘Hmm...since I’m feeling generous. I’m in bed, horny, wondering who I should think of when I'm touching myself.’’ She slyly confessed, before V leapt off the couch in excitement, forgetting the extent of her injury. Ignoring V’s reaction, she slowly unwinds a polished forefinger and playfully wraps her lips around it. 

‘‘Fuck, Meredith!’’ V gasped in shock before she decided to leave her cruelly hanging. Seconds later, the phone pinged.

‘Tease. I know who I’ll be thinking of’

The bedroom felt warmer than before. Blood had rushed to Meredith’s cheeks. It wasn’t supposed to end up like this. Picturing herself tangled up in V’s toned embrace, doing unspeakable things. Confident mouth leaving trails of hot kisses. Meredith wanted her the moment she walked out of that factory, fresh from battle. Even more when she admitted to wanting a closer look at her ink. 

The severed heart tattooed into her neck served as a permanent reminder not to share it so willingly with others. The day her armour was forged in the flames of determination, driving her to leave that old life behind.

But then...V happened.

The thought of a joytoy bound to her bed once thrilled her, and she was close to seeking such services from a catalogue of gorgeous Clouds dolls multiple times. A part of her is glad she never did. Twirling her fist into rich, silk sheets, bare-knuckled, free to whimper under the soft, pulsing glow of mood lights. From muscle memory, she pegged the tips of her nipples as if she were smoking a cigarette. Perhaps she would light one once she found her release. Even though that peach-coloured phallus tucked away in her drawer would fill her nicely, she wanted it to feel like V was inside her, fucking her way to a glorious pinnacle. The desperate touch slipping beneath her panties, arching her back to deepen the sensation. Wet for someone, so close yet so far away.

She sees it now, her and V are opportunist. Always have been. Her phone lit up and she stared at the message, half irritated, half horny. 

‘I hope you’re close...if it helps...I am too’

Her free hand trembled as she typed a hurried response while she rocked against her idle fingers, palm pressed against a swollen clit.

_‘Fuck you V’_

‘Yes...you should fuck me’

The glass screen felt cold against her stomach as she laid there open and trembling, body aching from wanting. More pressure, more speed. It’s been too long, months, years, going without...someone. Only now has her patience waned. When she imagined V’s head between her legs, tongue languid and smooth, rosy hair tickling her thighs, she comes hard. Moaning alone inside her apartment, it’s V’s face she imagines, riding the wave with her. When her soul returns, the phone pings again.

‘I can’t wait for the real thing’

_‘Consider yourself honoured. Not many have seen my ink up close’_

‘After you’ve tried me, none ever will’

_‘Get some rest gonk. Remember, you have work to do’_

‘Only for you xx’

When Meredith laid in bed, limp and pleasantly spent, mind wandering back to the merc who came out of nowhere and fucked with her equilibrium. She asked herself far too many questions, two of them being...

_Is it wrong to want to feel a warm body against mine again?_

_Is it wrong to want to feel anything other than loneliness?_

The longer she thinks of V, the harder it becomes to answer yes.


	2. Act II - The Inclination

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inclination - An attitude of mind especially one that favors one alternative over others. The act of inclining; bending forward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn’t expecting to write smut so early in this fic, but I wanted to gift everyone for showing support. Also, how difficult is it to find an appropriate synonym for ‘vagina’? Like a needle in a fooking hay stack. So, I settled for ‘nave’ because I’m sick of referring to it as a ‘pussy’.

**I.**

Life is about taking risks. 

In the corpo world, where the zenith of ambitions depended on the expanse of one's dreams - souls always paid the heaviest price. For Meredith? Even after losing herself those years ago, she always kept the ground in sight. Even when she woke with her head stuck in the clouds. 

‘Morning. Slept well, I hope?’

_You know I did, gonk._

_  
‘I’ve had better’_

‘Solo sex or sleep?’

‘ _Both’_

Meredith allowed her cruel joke some time to marinate. But of course, it doesn’t deter her victim, only provokes.

‘De sangre fria. I like it. Good thing I’ll be back on the road soon, working towards my reward’

_Cold blooded? Compliments like that will get you in my pants sooner._

_'Words are inexpensive. Need to see more action from you’_

‘You mean...feel more action from me’

_‘I FUCKING HOPE YOU’RE ACTIVELY DELETING OUR MESSAGE HISTORY??’_

‘Chill. I'll activate incognito mode ’

‘ _V!!!’_

‘EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY’

Meredith took risks daily. It was all part of business growth. Personal growth within a billion-dollar corporation, however? A suited amalgamation all clawing up the same ladder became a cruel game of survival. 

Corpos are expected to carry the torch for themselves—each to their own. If any of her operatives failed, she would have to answer for it. But a stubbed toe was better than having her ass handed to her on a golden platter.

The most brutal truth to swallow was, no matter what path you chose, everyone had to wade through shit to chase a dream. Looking in from the outside, one would only see what’s on the surface. Living and breathing the corpo life was something no one would understand unless they had experienced it for themselves. Or lived to tell the story, soul intact.

Despite the distraction of a freedom-mongering merc, conveniently just a text message or phone call away, Meredith made sure she remained focused. Running for the next promotion and crushing her competitors, Militech suits or any other entity that stood in her way. 

_As long as our strings remain detached, we’ll both reap our shared incentives._

In her case, it would be wiser to lead with reason rather than her nether regions, no matter how susceptible her body was every time she liaised with V.

The office tower was abuzz when she arrived. For the third consecutive year, Militech was announced as the number one corporate employer. Who wouldn’t love five paid vacation days a year, unlimited access to stims from pharmaceuticals and implant acquisition assistance? Luckily for Meredith, she was amongst the 34% of employees secured with a retirement package. 

Arasaka’s attempts to stir up a conspiracy amongst those gullible citizens of Night City, blaming Militech for their former CEO's assassination, became nothing but news in the wind. Brave, spritely men and women were applying for positions without a thought of where they might end up in the future. Some may rise through the ranks, but most fall off the ladder and turn back to common grounds, devoured by hopelessness. 

The boost in publicity reflected positively on trade and retail sales. Pushing her team forward towards a looming monthly target and managing these peaks to boost profits was all part of breathing the corpo life. Thankfully, she could leave her trusty merc to her own devices and wait until she snagged a lead in the Badlands. Somewhat easing the weight from her capable shoulders.

When Meredith finally found time to herself, seated in the tower’s communal eatery, she peeled the husk off a real banana and bit into its flesh. Simultaneously, a group of young apprentices look on, sweating under their new office attire. She ignored them and proceeded to pick at a mediocre burrito unravelling before her eyes. Unfortunately, it’s just as distasteful as their constant gawking. 

One thing she could praise at the moment was V’s timing. “I hope you have good news for me?” She greeted sternly, accepting a voice-only call. 

“Gettin’ there. Just had a close encounter with Rogue, one of the most badass fixers I’ve ever met in Night City,” V gushed like a fangirl. 

Judging by the distant whines of rockerboy music and a quarrel involving glass bottles, V was calling from a familiar past time. The name she mentioned rang bells that tolled from another life. Meredith hummed in dull interest. “So, that bitch became queen of the Afterlife, as she intended.”

“Wait, you know her?!” V reeled in awe, taking a swig from a clinking glass. 

“We’ve pulled some strings for one another in the past, but that’s none of your concern. I want to know why you’re at the club drinking and not out there sleuthing?”

“I ain’t droppin’ that one just yet. Did you two—y’know,” V grunted into the phone, whisper-light. “On the down-low? I mean—I'd break some serious bank just to see that live,” she sighed in fascination.

Meredith gnawed into the last portion of her banana and slapped the husk on to the table while the group of nosy onlookers avoid her stony gaze. “Get your head in the game. Our relationship was strictly professional. We met through a mutual...”

~~_Cunt. Ex._ ~~

“Acquaintance. Now, drop the fucking subject before I take my business elsewhere. I’ve had a decent day in the office, and I’d like to keep it that way.”

“Ease up, patrona. It was a compliment. Just sayin’, you two would’ve made a scorchin’ duo. It’s all in the eyes. Both of you exude that ‘I’ve been to hell and lived to tell the story’ vibe. Nothin’ but respect for people who've kept their souls in check.”

_Hah. Mostly in check._

Meredith agreed with some of V’s insight, even when she shook her head, “I see the Afterlife is still serving up a dodgy top shelf, either that or someone spiked you.”

“Why? Because I have a thing for strong women, and I’m upfront about it, even without the liquor?” She could tell the merc’s mouth was pulled back into a conniving smirk. 

_There’s a difference between confidence and arrogance._

_Unfortunately, I like you enough not to give a fuck that you possess both._

“I don’t enjoy waiting for you to get your shit together, V. We crossed a boundary last night, and now it’s back to business as per usual,” she muttered lowly.

V guffawed, putting shame to the heavy track playing in the background. “Loud and clear.” She clicked her tongue and took another long sip. “Once I’ve emptied my glass, I’m meetin’ up with one of Rogue’s contacts. Someone who knows the Badlands like the back of her hand. A common nomad, lookin’ for a way out. We’ve met before, but she left the club in such a storm, I didn’t get a chance to ask for her number.”

“You sure she wasn’t trying to delta because of you?” Meredith shoved her half-eaten burrito to the side, clenching her fist while V tutted in the background. “Well, here’s your chance to scare the poor thing off again,” she stated in annoyance. 

“Jealousy sounds hot on you.”

Between the prying audience, the shitty burrito and V’s attitude, Meredith was on the verge of losing her shit. A favourite past time, when she first met the cocky merc in person.

“Next time, call me with a proper update, not because you want to chat like fucking choombatta’s!” She couldn’t tell if the sound of glass colliding with concrete came from a nomad being pushed to her limit, nor does she linger on the phone long enough to find out.

Except for the table of innocent onlookers, the entire room continued to indulge in their meals, like her outburst was purely typical office antics. Even when she dragged the chair from underneath her and hurried to the nearest trash disposal. Marching past fearful faces, she eyed them steely, in pity rather than annoyance.

_Buckle up, kids. You’re next—survival dependant._

The only good thing Meredith ended up taking from the ordeal was a demolished banana. She doesn’t question her outburst until V gives a virtual cold shoulder for hours into the night.

_Gonk move, me._

**II**.

After enduring a night of broken sleep, blaming the placement of her pillows rather than the dreaded thought of waking to an NCPD report of a merc laying face down in the gutter, matching V’s description. Another statistic in Night City’s daily death count. Meredith woke to her phone, vibrating on the side drawer, flashing impolitely. She pried her eyes open, noticing the untimely hour. Relieved the merc had sent a message to quash her doubts anyway.

_01:16?_

‘You up?’ 

‘ _No_ ’

‘(-_-)’

‘ _Where are you?’_

V shared her location, which was somewhere near Red Peaks, just outside Night City.

‘Wraith hideout in the Badlands. Good news. Closin in on a lead. Thought you might like these...’

Two images appeared on her phone, showing several Militech containers stacked inside the hollow of a mine—their serial numbers matching the hijacked convoy's inventory records.

‘ _Nice work’_

‘Shit news. All empty. Got some good angles though’

A third image loaded on to her screen, and Meredith may have appreciated it more than the sight of recovered tech. V stood with one foot on a Militech crate, precision rifle resting on her shoulder, dressed casually in criminal amounts of gold gear. To top it all of, she wore a pair of gold-plated aviators, head tilted to the side in a menacing grimace—no lack in substance, just a surprisingly blinding target for her enemies.

‘ _How disappointing. I prefer the first two’_

‘Haha. My photographer has a great eye’

She received another image, not really knowing how it makes her feel until she zooms in. A tall, young woman with dark features, frowning face lit by her handheld, engrossed in conversation whilst flipping a sublime bird at the photographer.

‘Meet Panam. Fellow nomad I met up with last night’

_So, delta girl has a name. Rugged and easy on the optics._

‘ _Giving you the finger too. I like her already’_

‘Yup, a real sweetheart. Turns out, she had beef with Nash, a Raffen Shiv who double crossed her. We went in guns blazin. After we looted the place, I dissected the terminals and found comms between him and a vendor called CorpSM' 

_‘Username is a dead giveaway. Manage to track an IP Address?’_

‘Damn firewall. I lack the magic touch of a netrunner. Snake has mad skills. Knows how to bury their digital tracks. Encrypted files might hold answers too’

_‘Sounds like a feasible lead. Upload all data to a shard. I’ll have my men look into it today'_

‘Already done. So, we exchangin this in person? Or...'

_‘Drop box. Corpo Plaza. Asap. Please’_

V took a while to respond, and Meredith found herself scrolling back to the image of the posing merc and ended up zooming in on a compelling smile plastered across a slappable face. Takes a peek at other assets for good measure, without a hint of shame. 

‘Copy that’

‘ _Yes V’_

‘You still pissed at me?’

_When am I not?_

_‘I wasn’t the one who threw her glass in a fit of rage’_

‘Says the one who flipped out like a cyberpsycho during her lunch break. I dropped it after you called me a choombatta’

‘ _Why? Am I too corpo to use your street_ _slang?’_

‘Shit no. It turned me on’

It took every ounce of strength to reverse the idiotic smirk yanking at her stubborn, immovable lips.

‘ _You know what really gets me going?’_

_You_.

‘Thrill me'

‘ _When you get shit done and fill two needs with one deed’_

V's fingers must be burning from typing a speedy response. As always, it’s filthy. As always, Meredith lacked immunity against her boldness.

‘Sounds a lot like sex to me’

‘ _Sounds like a scheduled business meeting over business drinks’_

‘You’re pullin my boob’

‘ _Smart attire. Dark Matter. Terrace. 21:30’_

‘FUCKK ===D’

‘ _Behave yourself’_

**III.**

When Meredith checked the pre-arranged drop point at 7am the same morning, she wasn’t surprised to find a shard container with a handwritten note from the merc. 

_'Lookin forward to you.'_

_How hard was it to add a fucking ‘g’?_

V even wrote like she spoke, with an air of unforced coolness. Irritating yet smooth like butter. Despite her aesthetic, the merc was a one-woman force determined to gain results, albeit with various unethical methods. They were similar in that sense, both striving for that higher calling. She worked herself towards the promotion closing in on a murky horizon. V? Well...

_The less I know, the better._

Dark Matter wasn’t her usual haunt. With a non-existent social life, Night City had become a reminder, rather than a distraction like it used to be. The terrace bar offered the type of open-aired privacy she could appreciate, rather than the hubbub of a crowded lounge with a stage of upper-class dancers. Its sleek ambience, metallic furnishing, real plants and ample lighting, with a selection of anonymous night lifers dressed to the nines. 

Emerging from the elevator, shades on for discretion, Meredith eyed the bar, ignoring the faces peering from behind their crystal glasses. She ordered an old-fashioned whiskey and found the most obscure bar leaner overlooking the city—9:00pm and already opting for a head start to calm her nerves.

The whiskey wasn’t too shabby, clenching at her tongue like a heated embrace. She lit a soothing vice and typed a brief message to the contributor of said nerves.

‘ _Order a drink and join me on the terrace past the bar’_

‘Got it. See you there’

Whiskey dissolved into the pit of her stomach, joining the fluttering sensation building there. The ghosts of butterflies returning from a long absence of feeling nothing but stone cold bitterness. A feeling she thought was just a one-off thing.

_It’s just another business meeting...with a crucial client._

In truth, she would rather brave the wrath of a room of c-suiters rather than face V in an intimate setting. Significantly when all she wanted to do was jump her bones.

_Is this bespoke militarism dress too much? Makeup too heavy? Hair a little too poofed? N—yes._

As Meredith's dread began melding with her worries, the merc stepped out from the bar area. She busied her mouth with a longing draw from her cigarette. Through the veil of smoke, V carried herself with the grace of a worldly nomad and froze in an expression of startled shock while Meredith slapped her sunglasses on to the table.

_Wow._

“Wow,” V stole the thought from her, still caught in a daze. The atmosphere provided enough light for both of them to admire the views. “How the fuck do you expect me to behave when you’ve dressed to kill me?”

Meredith swallowed heavily, “well, well, you surely scrubbed up accordingly.” When V took a generous swig of her drink, she threw her eyes to the ground and caressed the merc with a slow upwards sweep. 

V wore a forest green blazer, generously unbuttoned, tattooed chest peaking from behind a silk shirt, matching 7/8th's, and a pair of black ankle boots. The appeal was evident, catching the attention of other patrons who ogled in their general direction.

“As a merc, we pride ourselves on adapting to any given situation,” V walked closer, smoothing those dangerous eyes over her textured gunmetal ensemble, cut just above the knee. “But it’s proving to be a challenge when mujeres muy hermosas are involved.”

_Smart suit for a smart mouth._

“Exercising restraint, that's something you need to work on.” Meredith pursed her lips into an attempted smile, “help yourself.” She nudged the cigarette case on the leaner between them, and V receives the gesture eagerly. The faintest glimmer of bronze dusted across downturned eyelids when she breathes life into the cigarette.

“Where’s the fun in that?” V tucked her hair behind a dual- pierced helix with dark, polished fingers. It’s the finer details she notes mentally, like the scar carved into a jagged line across her cheek. The rest of her softens Meredith's curiosities. 

“There’s no fun in looking like a fool,” Meredith interjected, raising the glass to her lips in utter thirst. “Beautiful women can either be your strength or your greatest downfall.”

“Let me play to my strengths then,” V leaned forward, studying her lips closely. As if on cue, a waiter makes his rounds, and the merc politely asks for more rounds of drinks. “Real snazzy place. Don’t think I’ll ever fit in with the elite.”

“That's rich, coming from an embellished nomad. You’re a chameleon, aren’t you?” V tilted her head with mild agreeance.

“I prefer to aim high with my two feet planted on the ground.”

_Wise._

“Whether you’re at the top of your corporate game or hustling the underground. We're all the same. It's the people who set hierarchies. The rest of it, like this bar, purely superficial,” V nodded slowly, exhaling smoke from her nostrils. “I also wanted to thank you for the data you pulled from the Badlands. We managed to decrypt those hidden files from the shard. This CorpSM has a web of networking crims at its fingertips. Our priority has shifted from uncovering stolen cargo to wrangling this corpo snake, and I have a plan to catch him.”

When the second round of drinks arrived, they reached for them without hesitation and prompted the waiter to keep them coming. “If it’s as complex as you say, I suggest you keep yourself protected. They could target you once they know you've caught their scent.”

“I’m not at liberty to sit around and watch this escalate. Targeting CorpSM is my only means of—”

“What, success? The next promotion? I don’t get it with you corpos,” V threw a hand up in dismay and settled on the open booths lining the terrace. 

“Maybe you never will, V,” Meredith’s throat burned from taking a gulp rather than a sensible sip, avoiding V’s flustered face. “A suited life, it can make or break you. Tear you apart into a distorted version of your former self. You become unrecognisable to everyone, even yourself.”

V raised the glass to her lips and drank like a fish out of water. “We all lose ourselves. It’s how we find ourselves again that matters. To make it, you have to break first. It’s inevitable.”

_Wise ass._

It seemed, the more the merc had to drink, the more she made sense. Either that or the whiskey was warming the coldest parts of her in the most troubling way. It doesn't take much convincing for her to desert the bar leaner. Just one look from V to make it all the more inviting. 

“This plan of yours. Does it involve me risking my life for you again?”

“Of course,” Meredith grinned behind the rim of her glass. “Think of it as another infected cred chip. This time you’ll be planting undetectable malware on enemy hardware. As far as we know, CorpSM has affiliations to Raffen Shiv and now, the Scavengers.”

“Both are equally ruthless. How lovely,” V quipped. “Who better to send than a humble nomad to do your dirty work again, huh?”

There was enough light filtering through the plants to see that most of the bar’s patrons had left for the exclusive lounge for an immersive experience while another couple sat huddled on the far end of the terrace. 

The waiter cleared his throat before rounding the corner, signalling his arrival to avoid walking in on any indecencies. He gives them a firm nod, collects the empty vessels and makes himself sparse. Both of them squash their cigarettes into an ashtray, refreshing their palettes with more alcohol.

“You’ve surprised me.” Meredith revealed as the whiskey reached the back of her throat without effect. As smooth as the way V’s fingers skimmed over the hem of her dress. 

“I’ve surprised myself,” V said nervously. “Never done business with a Militech corpo before. Let alone become their guardian angel.”

“Is that what you think you are to me?” Meredith took one long-lasting sip, head swimming pleasantly. “I’ve always thought you were just another gonk mercenary.”

“Compliments aside, I’m afraid you’re mistaken.” V’s fingers brushed soft lines along the inside of her knee under her dress. “I’m a nomad who wants to warm the body of a cold-blooded woman. Any time, any place she wants it.” Too afraid to look down, Meredith focuses on what she can, V’s lips moving as she whispers more filthy poetry. “What was it again? Exercise restraint? We all know the only way to diminish temptation is to yield it.”

V was barely there, just close enough to draw a tipsy complaint from her mouth. “Fuck you for making me want you.”

_Fuck you for wanting to be fucked on this golden chair._

The hand that spreads across her neck is just as gentle as the one inching closer to her nave. During that moment alone, she decided the colour green was growing on her. The suit was one thing, but the observant eyes, softening under the dim glow of ambient lighting done right, that was another crux for another day. V’s lips fell open, and she stared at them far too long. “Mind if I take a closer look?” Meredith answered with a tug on the merc’s blazer, their mouths teasingly close and V's hand under her dress, exploring the expanse of her thighs while the skin beneath her ear tingled. “Damn,” she murmured, voice low and dangerous, “who’s the fucker that hurt you?”

_Don’t be a wet blanket._

Meredith’s fingers climbed past V’s chest, firm grip locked around her throat, caressing inked canvas and chrome. Pulse racing under her fingertips when she follows the scar with curious eyes. “I could ask the same.” V swallowed under her palm.

“Car accident,” she replied, dragging her fingernails down to meet Meredith’s knee, a hesitant gasp escaping an otherwise severe mouth. “Fuck the past. Let me ease you like I said I would,” she cooed, pleasant scent of smoked whiskey brushing against her lips. Funny, the merc had a liking for it too. It was fear that held her back from catching those lips, waiting for consent behind hungry eyes. She wasn’t ready to feel them against hers, not any time soon. 

With a switch of her wrist, she forced V’s head back to her neck. Those lips burned against her, more than the whiskey, more than her vices. Anxious too, pushing patterns along her skin, changing shape and momentum. Delicate, at times, hurried, tracing slow lines along her clenched jaw, treeling a rebellious tongue over that severed heart. 

_From jumping the gun to holding the gun. How ironic._

Meredith clenched her thighs, giving life to V’s idle hand spreading across her skin, trickling greedy noises dripping in shallow breaths. “Not here, V,” she urged, on the verge of losing her shit cordially. “Not how I want to do this.”

V smiled against her neck. “Name the place. Your pad? Mine?”

“Neither,” she slowed. It took strength to tear herself away from V’s warming hands. An unjust ache, throbbing inside her nave. It would be cruel to leave the merc hanging again, to torture herself with intervention. “No Tell Motel. I’ll book the room. You wait for my message.”

“Classy,” V looked at her, startled. “Didn’t think you’d be down for that. I know some cleaner alleyways.”

“No,” she replied sternly. “Motel, or we call it a night.”

“Yeah—you’re right, can’t have you screamin’ the city down.”

“Hmm. Smug little shit,” Meredith’s lip curled leisurely. “I’ll cop the bill.” She scrunched at the merc’s silk shirt, fainting a kiss that never reaches V’s lips. “Once I’m out. Move your fucking ass.”

The merc bit into her bottom lip, plaited tooth catching Meredith’s indigo eyes. “Whatever you want, patrona.”

**IV.**

It was the anticipation that was killing Meredith. The knowing. When she punched in the destination and hit ‘auto navigation’ on her Caliburn, part of her was ready to shred the road back to her apartment. A safe, easy way out. However, the road to the No Tell Motel was full of doubts. Old memories sparked from new faces, and soon, a new body. Discretion and a bed. That’s all she needed. That and the courage to fuck a merc who delivered on her promises. 

She settled on Room 6. One of many gaping maws hidden behind closed doors, feasting on Night City's dirty pleasures. A kitsch enthusiasts dream, furnished with a sordid romance in mind. A pile of discarded technicolour, vendor machine dildos, lifeless on the carpeted floor. The beaming 'XXX' neon sign, the lamp she thought looked like a pair of upside-down nads and the bed. A leopard print wrapped abomination. Last and least favourable, a grimy pod shower to wash away the sins of its occupants. It would suffice, knowing it would soon become nothing but background noise. 

_‘Room 6. Come ready’_

'I was born ready'

‘ _No telling, just showing’_

Meredith made herself comfortable against the pillows, dressed to kill and resurrect, only to murder V in warm blood all over again. 

_Bet she won’t expect to see me in this._

Scantily clad, x’s for eyes bralette, black leather negligee and a coddling harness for an unbearable barrier of playful restriction, not to mention the fine, peach-coloured specimen laying beside her. Studded cuffs and choker, tattoos out and proud, accessories from the underground that chewed her up and spat her out on Militech’s doorstep. 

_Why the fuck do I feel like a virgin wearing a chastity belt?_

_Need more liquid courage._

A cold-blooded lady in waiting, she was.

The door to the room slid open, and V cuts through the beaded curtain, breaking the ice with a sturdy form. There’s confidence swinging in those shoulders until she stops to soak it all in. Meredith swears she can hear a pair of steel nads drop to the ground. Then again, it could be the merc’s jaw.

“Dulce carajo,” V’s lips moved in quick succession, unable to take her eyes off the reward, as she trailed off in rapid spanish. Engaging, despite its vulgarity. Meredith caught snippets of it, between a colourful array of mangled english.

“Still think you can handle me?” Meredith ushered V closer with an index finger as she flipped off her boots, threw off the evening jacket and lifted the silk shirt from her imposing torso. The room coated her in shades of red, pink and blue. Her lingerie was surprisingly simple for a flashy nomad, nonetheless thought-provoking. Black to match the chest tattoo she once admired over a hollo conversation. That and the sleeves of flowers moving with V’s clumsy efforts at removing her trousers.

“I’m still here, am I?” V volleyed, slithering out of her obstructions, while Meredith's throat vibrated. “After tolerating your haughty demands. Risking life and limb. All for a night of untethered sex.”

“I’d prefer to keep it that way,” she remarked impatiently. V took her guarded hand and led it to a quilt of firm abs, unbridled strength rippling under her touch. “Don’t make me wait any longer. Otherwise, I’ll start helping myself.”

“Mind if I do some bodily recon first?’’ V tilted Meredith’s chin carefully. “Get the lay of—ohh.”

_Mind if I move in for the kill?_

Meredith gripped the curve of her hips and treated herself to the muscled planes of V’s stomach. The firm hand, mingling with her scalp, finds purchase, urging her mouth lower. Past her navel, lips touching the edge of her panties. Daringly close to where she wanted to be. The merc clicked her tongue, eyeing the lonely member nudging at Meredith’s thigh. “Since I’m a giver, I’ll fuck you the way you want it. Is that a deal?”

“Take the lead,” Meredith agreed, and so did the rest of her when she hands over the strap on. V attached it like a pro. That came to no surprise. The merc wore freedom on her sleeve, could charm the skin off a snake. Charm the pants off a woman. Even stone-cold corpos gunning for the infinite ladder, by all means necessary. She doesn’t blame them for taking the bait either, more praise for their excellent taste.

V is all power with a swaying peach cock between her legs, power when she drizzled lube onto the shaft and forced its head into a locked fist. “You like what you see?” The troublesome merc asked. Meredith cocked a knowing brow and watched her lather the dildo with glistening fingers.

The throb in her nave translated to a gratuitous ‘fuck yes’. Her mouth too stubborn to voice a salacious train of thoughts as she unravelled her legs, giving access to do what V pleased. “I’ve always liked what I’ve seen,” V admitted proudly, stroking the toy, eyeing her up thoroughly. “I’ve been hard ever since we cut our first deal. Honestly, can’t shake the thought of you.” V slowly began to thrust into her hand as she kneeled over one of Meredith's thighs. Excess lube spilled on to her black negligee every time she ground into her fist. It’s painfully unfair when V gathers more lube and smears it over her stomach, hips bucking forward, both hands occupied.

Meredith stirred. “The feeling is mutual. You've always been the real thorn in my side.”

“Good to know we’re on the same page,” V said between shortened breaths, staring down at Meredith with half-lidded eyes brimming with lust. “I didn’t come here to tell you how much I want to fuck you.”

“So come closer and show me. Before I finish myself off. That’s a threat.”

“I’m down for that too. But a deal is a deal.”

Patience was a virtue Meredith never understood. Never quite grasped. The way V threw her legs over and straddled her thighs, still kneeled, barely touching, toy dragging up her stomach. Those hands smoothed over the winged skull tattoo. “More ink for me to admire up close,” she hummed, leaning over to press her lips against her chest. Meredith heaved upon contact. “This one’s pretty,” V continued, moving her lips over faded rose petals. When she turned her attention to the crook of her neck, Meredith braced at the vulgar duvet with urgency. “Touch me,” V whispered into her ear. “Can’t promise I won’t bite.”

“I’ll take the risk,” Meredith found V’s bare thighs, feeling supple skin and more muscle, fumbling over the harness and breathable fabric. V licked a hot trail up her neck and found a sweet spot beneath her ear, avoiding the deadly choker with ease. The tug on her earlobe drew an unexpected groan while V revels in her reaction smiling, cheek against hers. 

_You, finessing daughter of a bitch._

So close to her mouth, yet so far away. Rosy hair never looked so good. Earth, smoke and whisky clung to it like a heady perfume. The scent of a mercenary, a raw woman. 

It thrilled her when V firmly took hold of the harness beneath her bra and tossed one of the king-sized pillows against the headboard, and held her in place. Meredith still cupping a thick ass when the merc lowers her slowly without effort, lean arms giving into gravity, still kneeling above her. In a show of gentle dominance. Now knowing the purpose of the remaining pillow under her hips, creating the leverage V needed.

It’s been so long since she’s slept with another woman, or anyone for that matter. The feeling is almost foreign. New and exciting, as if it were her first time. Given V's calibre and sense of standing within society, this will be the first time she's hit the sheets with a full-time nomad mercenary.

“This supposed to keep me out or somethin?” V pulled her way down the harness and her negligee, performing a frustrated version of practical, bodily recon. 

“You’re a resourceful merc,” Meredith whined when V slipped her hand under the medallion, fingers gliding past her belly button, palm edging near the tip of her nave, while the other hand latched on to the harness. 

“Knew you wouldn’t make it easy for me.” V found the wetness between her thighs and growled under her breath while Meredith hissed from the sudden impact on her pulsing clit. Locked between two powerful thighs, she bucked her hips, physically begging for more than a dry touch. “Now it’s my turn,” V’s childish face, coy, single gleam from a deadly mouth under smouldering red lights. There's softness behind those dark eyes when she lowers herself skilfully, cock gliding over the soaked fabric, pushing into her, palm kneading slowly at her clit. 

Meredith watched on eagerly, mouth open, ready to cuss for more. V sensed the change in her and answered with a breathless moan when she pulled her panties to the side and whispered sweet, filthy things. “Hermosa,” she said, with a raw wanting. “All wet just for me? Shucks, you shouldn’t have.”

_Cause and effect. Not like I had a choice, gonk._

V parted her thighs and slid in between them, directing the toy with steady hands as it lapped at Meredith’s nave with practised control. She barely clung to sanity when V slid the toy achingly slow against her clit and eased her way inside in gentle measures. The medallion at her core comes in handy when V clings to it and pulls her in closer, swollen nave swallowing the shaft strapped to her flexing groin.

The sight of V fucking her, face caught in a daze between her legs, forcing the dildo deeper, filling her. V leaned in, thrusting with a severe purpose, while Meredith searched for purchase amongst disturbed linen. Warm body flush against hers, cock moving inside her. She could come undone now if she wasn't so stubborn. “Fuck, V. You feel so....”

“I just want you to,” V murmured between soft breaths, “enjoy this moment while we have the chance.” Stolen thoughts dangled within reach. Clinging to them became impossible when Meredith forgets about the four graffitied walls surrounding them. Her wet nave penetrated by a decent dong that never had a purpose outside of her bedroom until now. V’s talents extended beyond that of a mercenary. A notorious tease. 

She switched up the position in a show of skill and lifted Meredith's legs, resting them against her shoulders. V was deeper than ever, wielding the cock like she was born with one. Like second nature, she moved with an acute grace against her, breathing heavily with the motions. Just as she thought they would remain in this position, before Meredith’s nave threatened to tighten around the dildo, V pulled out slowly.

Summoning Meredith’s aching body with an easy tug on the harness, bringing her to her knees. Holding on to V’s shoulders while she sank low, peeling back her bra and latching on to a beaded nipple. Meredith threw her head back, fingernails digging into supple skin, when V twirled a playful tongue over the sensitive bud. The sturdy arm tied around her waist and one sly hand travelling up her thigh. No objections, no prying eyes to disturb their amorous entanglement. 

When she took another nipple into her mouth, fingers just shy of her nave, Meredith whimpered. “Fucking tease. Touch me where it matters.” Her fingers are like electrified feathers, sprinkling over her with such command, it aches. Once again, to have all contact stripped from her in a matter of seconds drives her entire existence insane. 

“That’s something else to look forward too,” V said, looking up at her with false innocence. “No doubt you’ll be back for more once I’m done with you.” Meredith cowered in frustration, body aching from the absence of stimulation. When V gripped her hips, their bodies searching for friction, she gets a funny urge to kiss her, to shut her up more like it.

“If you stop fucking me, there won’t be a next time,” Meredith warned through gritted teeth. V raised her chin in gentle challenge.

“So damn sexy when you’re demanding,” she purred, hands still attached to her hips as she moves behind her. It becomes a dance between them. V leads, and Meredith follows with obedience. The merc places a firm hand against her back, easing her on to her elbows. “I always knew you had a naughty side.”

Ass in the air, head resting on a pillow, Meredith reaches under and guides the toy, spreading her panties for more access. Before V dips in again, hands still grasping at her hips for support, Meredith shudders against her. “You’ve been nothing but trouble. A complete nuisance from the start,” she managed to say between V’s deep thrusts and a blooming smirk she can’t shake off once she turned to watch herself being fucked from behind. “Now you’ve turned me into a needy bitch.”

“Couldn’t have said it better myself,” V mumbled, breaths coming in short huffs. “That’s why we’re both here. To fill two needs with one deed.” With one hand, the merc clutched at the playful binds and deepened every movement inside her—thighs colliding, heat and wetness. Meredith, taking every inch of the toy with fervour. She couldn’t stave the quaint moans escaping her lips, especially when V pulls on the harness and she's back on her knees.

_That’s my...clever merc._

V leaned back on her knees, and the cock threatens to escape from the sudden change in position, but she handled it greedily as if her life depended on it. She planted herself around the toy with urgency, becoming a malleable cold-blooded woman, grinding on V's lap. Those heated hands around her hips and muffled groans of pleasure against her back. She feels herself succumbing to the fall every time sweetness spills from that filthy mouth. 

V removes herself gently, lifts her back up by the waist and takes her hand, tugging it just enough for her to follow without being told. Heart beating from ebbing at another teased climax, Meredith is close to crumbling under pressure. V’s body shines with a thin sheen of sweat, toy bobbing away as she lays her head against the discarded pillow from before. “Come here,” she demanded, bedroom eyes still lusting over her when she offers a hand in assistance. “I want to watch you come undone while you’re riding me.”

Swollen nave drenched in arousal, Meredith clawed herself up the bed and opened herself, sliding along the sopping dildo while V’s hands climbed their way up her thighs. “Since you’ve been working your ass off, I suppose you deserve to lay idly beneath me.” V smiled, watching Meredith stretching around the toy, eyes clamped shut, mouth open. 

V’s body laid out in front of her, enticing and regal, she finally has a chance to appreciate those abs again. Her needy hands were grasping at every tendon, bubbling beneath her fingertips. V’s hands find her waist, assisting her through the motions. Meredith braved the connection and claimed those wandering hands for herself as she rides with the merc's surging thrusts. 

“When will I see you again, Meredith?” V breathed, biting her bottom lip. The absurd curiosity piqued her interest, elevating the high, even if she denied the possibility of a second tryst.

Too enraptured to answer when she feels her nave giving way, Meredith tried to hold it off, staving the orgasm, she’s been building towards this whole time, squeezing into the supportive hands holding her in place.

“Don’t be afraid. Just let go,” V called, returning with her sixth sense. Close to the edge herself.

Meredith rides V's delectable, silicone cock to a bittersweet climax. When her jaw relaxed and the most city shattering moan escaped her mouth, from reaching a pinnacle far intense than the night, she tangled with herself in bed. Maybe even in years. 

It’s strange how her body reacted to an orgasm after being deprived of human contact. The way V embraced her when she decided to free herself from the bonds of fear. All that undeniable sexual tension between them coming to a glorious head. Two unexpected souls inside a gaping maw, watching themselves drowning in pleasure. V’s pretty face when she arched her back, impressive power quaking underneath her. Meredith comes violently, still holding on to V’s hands. The single tear that streams down her cheek becomes a wake-up call that, thankfully, V never witnesses physically.

.....

Their fading voices, like an echoing symphony of a good fuck. The rest was all background noise. Nave still hugging at the dildo, palpitating like the heartbeat she forgot she had. When her breathing slows, V’s voice penetrates the stilled air. “I could do this all night with you,” V propped herself up, pressing her lips against Meredith’s shaky hand with such tenderness it could probably bring her to ruins again. “If you want to.”

Meredith claimed her hand gently, lifting herself off the peach-hued cock, both their bodies still sensitive from the high. V watched her sidle up beside her, keeping their proximity to a minimum, arms propped behind her head with a stupid grin smeared across her face, staring at her, serene, erect toy pointing towards the ceiling.

_I want you to ruin me until it’s time for me to call in sick for work._

“This was fun, V. Don’t forget that,” Meredith denied herself, dodging the pain that came with it. “But I bet you say that to all the people you sleep with.”

V’s laugh is raspy and calming. “Just the unforgettable ones,” she said, breathing a heavy sigh. “None were as beautiful as you.” Meredith tsked, slapping a palm against the flowers on V’s shoulder. “None were worth my time either.” The truth laid bare was a dangerous thing, revealed in an air of culminated sex, heat and over-stimulated bodies. An answer never left Meredith’s mouth, just an underlying thought balancing on the tip of a fearful tongue.

_Her name was..._

_The one who..._

_Broke me..._

Between them, the stolen moment became a fantasy once more when V’s phone springs to life, ringing from a bundled jacket on the carpeted floor. “Excuse me, patrona. Gotta take this.” Already back to using business titles, she answered it without a hitch. 

“Sup, Misty?” V greeted the caller. She unleashed the harness with her free hand and relieved herself from it, placing it back on the bed. “I’m doin' preem biz in Kabuki.” She smiled back at Meredith, propped against the pillows, lighting a cigarette from the side drawer. “He still talkin' shit ‘bout Johnny?” She paused momentarily after pacing around the edge of the bed. “Tell him I’ll be there soon.” Her voice went quiet. “Mama Welles come to visit?” She combed her hair back, looking relieved. “I’ll fill you in once I get there. Made some good progress in the Badlands. Need me to pick anythin’ up?” She paused again, rubbing at her neck slowly. “Just remember we’re doin' all we can to deal with this. I got you, always.” She disconnected the call, carried herself over to the bed, and sat next to Meredith, resting a hand on her shiny negligee. “I gotta bounce. My chooms need me.”

_Night City included. Maybe me too._

Meredith's cigarette fizzed with a heavy draw. “We’re both busy women, V.” The merc’s gaze lingered on her every move. “Women of business and leisure.”

“When will I see you again, like this?” V asked innocently, while Meredith offers her cigarette with an easy gesture of goodwill. V takes it and savours it, blowing smoke above them. 

_Any time, any place. Any bed._

“Collect the shards from my suitcase. One has pinged locations between the hideout you raided. The other is malware. Once you plant the virus, which is laced with an intricate geolocation feature, we’ll have remote access to their systems. Any incoming communication received from CorpSM should lead us right back to them.” V snickered, taking another puff.

“Or, I can storm the joint and threaten some lowlifes for more detes on this corpo snake?” She passed the burning cigarette between them while Meredith’s face froze into a frown.

“Ah—no. Like hell you will,” she admitted out loud. “Can’t fuck you if you're dead.” V beamed behind the thick of smoke as Meredith crimped her chin with her fingers.

“Knew I’d get under your skin, one way or the other. I’ll work out a strategy for maximum infiltration with a low mortality rate.” V sniffed in satisfaction as she began to dress while Meredith watched on in silent disappointment. “As usual, I’ll keep you updated. I’m headin’ back to the Badlands today. Panam and I have some unfinished business to tend to.”

Meredith stubbed the cigarette inside the ebony ashtray, almost spilling on to the floor. “You fucking her too?” V cackled at her sudden abruptness, though her face remained unreadable. 

“We’re exchangin’ favours, nothin' more,” V retorted casually, still side-stepping the question when she fastened her trousers and started buttoning her shirt. The answer didn’t sit well with Meredith, though she hides this fact by checking the time.

_Shit...02:13. Time flies when you’re having fun._

Once V was fully dressed, to Meredith’s discomposure, she returned, shards in hand looking just as appealing as she did at the bar, with a freshly fucked air about her. “However, whenever you want me, just say the word,” V winked, flashing that sickening smile once more. 

“Until next time, V. Or god’s willing,” Meredith replied. As V walked out the door, leaving her alone in the room. One night with a merc who gave her something to remember. Taking and taking from a giver who never stopped providing. Still, the anticipation killed her now more than ever. There was a next time, no matter how torn she felt. 

_Cut her loose while you have the chance._

_She fucks, just like she operates. Admirably._

_V is like the ~~water~~ lighter to my cigarette. _

_No. She has become my cigarette._  
  


**V.**

Meredith doesn’t linger at the motel. The very thought of V switching her into positions as often as she blinked could easily be a reason to tease more out of her aching nave. So did a long, hot shower and some much-needed shut-eye, considering work was mere hours away.

The Caliburn whistled through the streets. Sleepless souls become blurred when she passed them. When she finally returned to her apartment and cleansed the night’s pleasures from her tired body, she collapsed on her bed to see V’s message lighting up her phone. 

‘You’re beyond a good fuck. Can’t stop thinkin about you. Hope you made it home ok’ 

_‘I would tell you how impressive you are, but your ego might explode. Made it home fine. Just showered you off me'_

‘Mmm. Glad I exceeded expectations. You took me thoroughly'

_‘Go away before you tempt me’_

‘Preem dreams xxx’

Meredith lets sleep take her to a place where V is coated in pink and blue neon lights. This time, they’re only kissing and moaning into one another's mouths, each swallowing the little noises between them. The connection was almost too vivid to handle. When she finally sees the lamp for what it really was, conjoined hearts burning in neon orange, it screams at her while V kisses into her neck. Beckoning like the dreaded alarm, she snoozes in real life.

_What a horrific fucking nightmare._

Meredith marched into the office that morning an elevated woman. Hair slicked back, smokey-eyed, pressed neo-militarism suit, impenetrable to an extent. She couldn’t care less if people could see right through her guarded facade. So what? She was a mid-level corpo who enjoyed the company of an up and coming Night City mercenary, all in the comforts of a bawdy room at a seedy hotel.

Not even a string of back to back board meetings could distract her from imagining V and her dildo-wielding bedroom antics. No, it just made them a lot more bearable, especially when suits start breathing down her neck about the missing tech scattered around the Badlands. She has answers for everything, and surprisingly for once, they're willing to practice a rare form of leniency. That or the way she glares at them strikes a heavy-hitting punch.

“If you’re not willing to up the ante on Militech transport units or implement regular security checks to avoid corporate exploitation from its own employees. I’ll do what’s necessary!”

_Taking risks aids growth._

“Our chances of recovering Militech property are next to nothing. From my own sources, I can confirm the contents from the missing convoy have been distributed amongst two gangs. The situation is more elaborate than we thought. Unlike Gilchrist, this snake has a brain. Leaking intel to gangs and factions. Turning a fat profit off company goods. Someone is taking the fall for this, and it won’t be me.”

_Playing it safe limits growth._

“I have a reliable spy at my disposable, someone who can infiltrate and plant malware trackers on their comms networks. Once we’ve breached their systems, I can pinpoint this traitor’s location. I won’t allow this to become a matter of corporate liability. If I can catch the snake, then maybe we can prevent future espionage. Regardless of our past discrepancies, I highly recommend a restructure to our system of operations. We need to be one step ahead of everyone else.”

_Allowing V to fuck me was purely for ~~personal~~ business growth. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who’ve kindly commented, left kudos, bookmarked and subscribed. I appreciate you. 
> 
> Act III coming soon...

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback and kudos is greatly appreciated, but your reading time matters to me more.


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